2007 Saab 9-3: An Absolute MUST for 2.0T owners! Prevent P1681!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.พ. 2023
- Recently I got a check engine light on in my Saab.
Unfortunately the code was P1681: ECU internal fault!
So you don't have to experience this scare, I'm going to show you a must have for all 2.0t Saab owners!
ECU Spacer Kit:
www.ebay.com/itm/334229328551...
Heat shield:
www.summitracing.com/parts/su...
Auto Autopsy's video:
• How to Save Your Saab ...
Let's fix this thing! - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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Just when I like the 9-3 and think about buying one, I come across this sort of thing..! GM really went full genius mode with this installation...! Seems my old 9-5s ain't going nowhere! Good vid!
They absolutely went genius mode 😂 thanks for the comment! I appreciate it!
Thanks for the tip! Fellow 9.3 convertible owner here. Will look into the ECM spacer & heat shield like you did here.
Not a problem. It’s worth fixing!
Thanks for sharing man. Just got my 9-3 and the next day it got a P0638, replacing the entire throttle body next week since a clean only worked temporarily and had to clear the code and the boost was still weaker than it was off the lot. Wish me luck!!! And best of luck with yours.
Aye happy to know there’s another Saab lover out there. Hope it goes smooth for ya! You got this!
😂 I've just bought a saab 9-3 2L turbo.. and the next day I got p0238.. and we'll, I'm in Australia 😢 no saab part suppliers, and importers want $1100AUD to send me a new throttle body... 😢😢😢.. and the guy i bought it from sent the ECU away and had it rebuilt re'coded a month ago thinking the ECU was its fault.. now I've found the exact problem it's a damned throttle body with $16 worth of pwm to balance it's 2 motors and it's locked to a dam saab only TB and I can't flash the ECU to accept a $40 Subaru fbw TB... so stupid, here in Australia we jailbreak and hack ecu's and make them tunable, rewritable, even to run different protocols to monitor preferred sensors .. why have no saab guys done this? I basically have to piggy back in a haltech which I can buy for about the price of the throttle body saab sells... But the haltech let's me control everything, new TB, bigger injectors, new fuel reg, boost control, maf delete, and saab pre Tb map sensor delete, and use the internal 32psi rated haltech map sensor, and narrowband to wideband swap in the exhaust, with custom duty cycle maps, and tune off map sensor pressure with wideband air fuel ratio as it's 2 reference points to keep the afr's exactly to the haltech custom map I make on the dyno after a day of runs and tuning the fuel map at the boost levels I want...
I can have all that!.. literally make 340hp to 500hp depending how stupid high you go on boost and injector size, but 300hp easy everything stock just the tunability from the haltechs cam control, timing control, duty cycle control, afr control, and an extra 8psi boost, just put a turbo back exhaust as the only mod and look into a bigger front mount intercooler, and with a haltech id yeah get my car to 330hp safely and for around the same price as me buying a new throttle body$1100au and the ECU that was done 2 months ago for $1200au.. I can get a haltech 750 to 1500 for cheaper than both them and still have change if on pay haltech make me a plug and play loom to suit .....
Why is that a thing? Why did saab guys not unlock and customise stock saab ecu's, exactly how every other car enthusiasts have done for every other brand within 4 years of it being released? And saab guys 20yrs later are still fixing stock ecu's and still stuck to silly saab locked sensors, TB's, oem coilpacks, ... saab guys just never realised ? Or no one into Saabs actually knows that's how all cars work? And that you can replace faulty stuff with newer more modern much better parts with more functions.. you don't have to keep using the faulty parts over and over again knowing they fail commonly, no, you upgrade those known faulty parts...
Why is this the case with saab guys? What the heck is going on? Why am I the first engineer in 20 years to look at Saabs and say , umm? Why no development or progress? And no aftermarket support? Why has no one done it? And why are saabs the only car on earth without this? I'm from a turbo Nissan, and turbo ford background, so I'm just completely dumbfounded as how it's even possible? Why?
Thank you so much for pointing me in the direction of sage cloning. The ECU in my car died, fortunately I was able to source another, had my old one cloned and added the stage one tune and bought the same heat shield featured in your video. Once again thank you for helping keep another saab on the road. Kudos
Absolutely! I’m so glad you enjoyed the video! How do you like stage 1? One day I would definitely want a little bump in horsepower and torque. Do you have any bolt ons to go with your tune?
@@ddubsgarage8285The tune , as folks say, really wakes up the car. I love it. When I put my foot down the acceleration is quick! Such a big difference No bolt ons yet but with the tune that is going to change.
@@PRR4828139 all of the arrows point to me finally tuning the thing. Thanks for the reply! I would feel ok doing it considering my engine doesn’t burn a drop of oil, pretty amazing considering it’s got 173,000 miles on it!
Hello! I do had that ECU problem. Mine faulted totally, so I replace it with a used one and to avoid future and recurrent heat damage to my new used ECU, I purchased an ECU loom to extend it and be able of relocate it to the air filter area. I tried that heat separator plate, but heat eventually reaches the ECU, so at the filter area I replaced the original box for an open conic filter and a HEAT separator. Now this really isolates the engine heat from my precious engine brains. Lots of work to do, to extend cable by cable, one at the time, but was the final solution. I figured this because the 9-5 OG has the ECU in the windhsield wiper área, between engine compartment and passengers cabin, and those models has zero ECU fails. Cheers!
Really cool stuff! Who knows maybe one day I will do the same.
Nice car Ive always liked Saab and hab
ve a soft spot for them Maybe one day I will find one I like and just take a shot,I know someone who purchased Saab 93's every year for his wife and she loved them
That’s awesome. Dang I would like a new 9-3 every year 😂
Taiwan saab guys made a relocation kit too.
Glad they aren’t hard to find!
Did the spacer modification on mine last year, it's well worth doing.
I agree! I palmed the ecu after a nice heat cycle, with engine at temp and running. No longer hot! I won't have that issue in the back of my mind.
Hey there. You're right to suspect the throttle body. The butterfly that piviots on a shaft meters the amount of air required and the ECU controls this and the fuel supply. When the shaft wares the aluminum housing more voltage is required to move the butterfly. So the throttle position sensor tells the ECU more movement required from your accelerator input but it becomes more and more difficult to move the butterfly as it wears. You get to a point where the ECU is sending the maximum voltage to the butterfly but it wont move to the right position that the throttle position sensor needs it to be. You then need a new throttle body. You will not get any codes on a cheap ECU reader. The ECU is not able to compensate for this ware. Most throttle bodies can be repaired if this is the case. Engine cutting out is only the beginning. When the car chuggs at idle and then a warning light you will know this is whats wrong. The engine code for this fault will then indicate a vacuum leak. You will think the manifold is sucking in air somewhere but no its the throttle body. Hope this helps someone. I like the autopsy clips as well. Love Saabs. * Love your wife worship your car! Cheers from downunder.
Thanks for the comment! Cool to know people around the world are watching! I would not be surprised if I have a throttle body purchase in my future 😂 luckily I already have a new gasket on hand. Thanks for the in depth explanation there. 🤘🏻
Had this a couple of times on mine
Good information to know, thanks
Thanks I hope that is right. I have a steady flow of oil from the pcv to the throttle body
@@ddubsgarage8285 I also had the same issue with the car not starting when it has been driven to temperature. Did the same thing as you and drove around with startgas. But this got fixed instantly when I replaced the crankshaft sensor. This might be the problem for you too! Hope this helps
@@niclarenp7079 yo! Thanks for the comment.
I actually have done the crank sensor recently.
It’s odd the problem just healed itself. Haven’t had any issues for a while.
Just watched your video--nicely done. At 8:56 into the video, another subject caught my attention--the framed 1930's photograph of a peregrine falcon in front of Taughannock Falls by Arthur A. Allen. How the heck did you come to have that?! Nice.
Haha I couldn’t tell ya, that’s one my parents got years and years ago. It’s a good thing to have in the living room for sure. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for keeping the Saab live in USA.
Absolutely!
Thanks man
How do I know if my ECU is burnt out or something to were the ECU spacer kit won’t help?
Good job
thank you!
Thanks !!!
Yo the energy sword in the garage is amazing haha
Haha Yoo thanks! I owe my twin thanks for that one. I love halo
@@ddubsgarage8285 that’s dope man. Halo is the shit
@@alexraia1377 I couldn’t agree more
If you have a throttle body problem, you need to open the black box on the throttle body and clean the variable resistor inside it with a contact cleaner. Sounds complicated, but it's not.
Oh maybe I'll try that if i have that stumbling issue again. it's odd it went away completely after changing the battery and doing the spacer kit. starts up no problem and does not stumble anymore. Thanks for the tip!
I have the similar kit after my first ECU failed, but the second ECU failed after 4 months in summer. It is my third ECU now. I think it may help, but the amount of heat there is just too much. My first ECU last 9 years.
Good to know, I think I may create my own air snorkel to pump cold air from outside the car directly at it’s another precaution. Also hoping my heat shield material on the bottom of the ecu will help
Overheating isn't the main reason that ECU dies, more often is problem with power supply and voltage drop.
Keep your batterry and contacts in good shape and you going to be fine for years.
Peace !
Thanks for the comment. The main reason it threw that code was the battery. Thank goodness!
I think you might have a problem with the crankshaft sensor. That's why the engine is turning off when hot.
Yo! I actually replaced that myself a while back. You kind of have to contort your hand to get to it with a 10mm. But that sensor is done!
Great video!! Hmm... my car is showing intermittent ECU issues (lost power at a red light twice but each time it starts right up again). How do I know if my ECU is already too damaged? Is there a way to test its condition before I apply the spacer? It's either add spacer to existing ECU or replace with used good one and program it 🤯 and put the spacer on the replaced ECU. Thoughts?
The goal is to know with some degree of certainty, so I don't end up stranded on a long drive.
hmm.. that's too bad you've been having those issues with your saab. i would say unfortunately there is no way to know for sure what the problem actually is without hooking up a scanner and doing some diagnosis. it sounds like if this problem is not the ecu you may have more serious engine issues. i would start by figuring out what codes it's throwing.
OK, it's throwing a P1682 with no check engine lights. Where did you get the extra heat protector on the bottom? Did you say Sumner or something like that?
@@rootclinic9268 so the extra shield I stuck to the bottom of the ecu is from summit racing. Great website, fast shipping on all of their stuff. Do a search on that specific code and have the things checked related to it! I hope you can get it figured out!
Nice vid bro any tips for a first time Saab buyer.
I am looking to buy a 08 2.0T base with 114k 🤔
Aye thanks! I would say my channel is a pretty good platform to know what you’re going to need to do to it. First things first get rid of that stupid plastic coolant feed for the turbo. Mine exploded and left me stranded once.
Somebody help , When stopped the car is making tickling noises , when accelerating it stopped making noise , when i press full the gas pedal the car after 2.5-3k rpms starts to shaking, I changed coil and spark plugs and still have the problem!!
Sometimes the ionization module causes similar issues to that. I would look into that. And the ticking noise may be unrelated, could have a lifter that is sticking
I couldn’t tell ya if anyone does those fixes in the US. Seems like sort of a lost art, obviously the prospect of having to dig into my ecu scared me. I got very lucky it was only the battery. I feel better with that spacer kit in there though. I appreciate the comment!
My Saab mechanic told me that these babies are very, very voltage sensitive and once the battery always keep an average below 12.5V, problems will build up and finally big $$$ from your wallet. It did happen to me after I tried to save some $$ on new battery and bought a re-built one which caused my ECU / ECM dead and cost me more $$$ to fix it ! Besides, always check the battery cables to see if they got corrosion especially the insulation layers as well as battery terminals.
@@mattharvey7878 sick!! Do you know how much horsepower you’re making now? I feel like I could use a bump in power too.
@@mattharvey7878 that’s awesome! My butt dyno is telling me it’s time for a tune. Would you go catless? Those are getting hard to find
@@mattharvey7878 hell yeah! I would love to hear that on the highway flat out. So cool!
It's the two spliced wires going from ECU to the throttle body. Fix those and it will be fixed period.
You mentioned getting a deep cycle battery. Deep cycle batteries are not meant to deliver quick high amps during starting. They are meant for slow discharges on a boat or travel trailer. You want a new starting battery.
I may have misspoke, this optima was ordered special for my saab. Definitely wasn't cheap. thanks for the comment, I didn't know that!
@@ddubsgarage8285 Ahh, you must be getting the yellow top or possibly red top then. The Blue one is for RVs and Marine deep cycle.
@@cheapswede ooh gotcha. Yep! this is the yellow top one. For some reason the video footage of me installing it was cut. Oops 😅
Your Ecu has been in that position for 16 years, do you think it’s necessary at this point? I’ve considered doing the same think for my 2008 but then figured any heat damage would have occurred by now. What are your thoughts?
I’m a little ocd so I like to do little modifications like this, especially if it might have a chance of extending my Saabs life. You definitely make a good point.
My thoughts as well. I have a 2004 9³ going on 19 yrs old. I have a feeling that moving the ECU now would be the cause of it going out at this point
@@popeye5808 I hope if it’s been going strong for that long then it keeps working for ya!
I like your heat adhesive ,not the kit the plate looks like aluminum which is like putting a frying pan under the ECU. I made my own out of G10 1/4 inch fiberglass and bought m6 rubber isolation mounts off amazon. Machined my own spacers for front bracket
Sounds like an even better way to do it. After a long drive I got the car up to temp and opened the hood with the engine running, the ecu was cool enough to palm with my hand. I’m hoping that’s good enough to preserve the thing.
A guy from Nicks TV repair out of Tucson, AZ repairs them by replacing one chip. He has a video. I think the cost is about $185.
Really just one chip? Cool stuff! I’m still glad I didn’t need one though 🤣
Not really a Saab problem but more of a GM problem. This effects many GM cars with 4Cyl where they bolt the ECU to the engine.
definitely seemed like a pretty dumb idea on GM's part right?
Hey I’ve been having the same issues with my SAAB 9-3 2007 the mechanic told me I needed to replace the throttle body I did that and it didn’t fix it at all, the codes I have though are P1564, P2859, P0846. My car starts up but doesn’t pick up speed and sputters then needs to cool down before I start. Any idea on what to do or if it’s this issue? Please help
Hey man. That sucks the throttle body didn’t fix it. It could be a number of things. You could ask your mechanic to try to diagnose and find out if it really is the ecu
you need a Tech 2 scanner..
@@ddubsgarage8285 mechanics told me it was the throttle body when they scanned it, but I researched the codes I had and the codes came up to be ECU/ECM. but a couple Saab TH-camrs told me possibly the ECU sending incorrect messages to the throttle body and other parts. Or spark plugs or coil packs
@@Thezalafamilyclips I would definitely invest in the tech 2 scanner
Seems a bit odd that the heatsheild is black not something more reflective ???
It does have a bit of a barrier with the white material beneath it
yasssssssssss, slayyyyyyyy
Sir I am Saab 2007 9-3 2.0wner I want relocation kit sir where is available pl. guid me thank you.
The link to the kit is in the description in the video! 👍🏻
I heard from a Saab mechanic that the 2007 93 engine wasnt as reliable as the 2005/2006 models because the 2007 93 had bad valves.
Bad valves? Do you know what is different about them compared to the 2005/2006 models?
@@ddubsgarage8285 My Saab mechanic said they changed manufacturers of the valves for one year in 2007, Saab caught on and fixed it by 2008
@@thatsentertainment5602 interesting. I have never done an injection cleaning on mine for carbon on the valves, but maybe that will be a good idea.
@@ddubsgarage8285 Yes that would be good to do.
@@thatsentertainment5602 I'll look into it!
A low battery can cause a host of different issues. The computer, especially, needs a full and uninterrupted current.
It caused a world of grief on my wife's 2013 Impala. Battery was at 11.5 V and all kinds of codes were popping up. New battery, no codes at all. Sometimes we get lucky with a simple fix. (although, putting the Impala battery under a frame member wasn't kind of the engineers! ☠☠)
My wife’s 2007 93 key fob won’t lock doors and door switch locks and than immediately unlocks it ant thoughts
Very strange problem to have, it’s funny mine will lock before unlocking when I hit the unlock button on the key fob. Just thought it was quirky but it works for me. I would say if you have a way to access a tech 2 scanner that would be a good way to look around at what’s going on. When my key fob battery started to drain it didn’t want to lock the doors. That could be a good place to start. Sorry I can’t give a more specific answer here
Bought the spacer kit and installed. Went to turn it on and it didn’t start. Realized the ground was loose and tightened bolt. Started right up but now I have a “limited performance” light on the dash. I think I really messed up something.
I've tried all the things and the two spliced get hot because of location. I've tried all these things but the factory splices are bad not the throttle body the wiring harness
Oh for real? Where are these splices?
@@ddubsgarage8285 follow the harness from the ECU to the throttle body it's two wires into one and there is two of them cut the factory shit then just solder them and problems gone
@@jeffhusnik2878 I’ll look into it, thanks dude!
@@ddubsgarage8285 just unwrap the harness wife loom and follow the wires from the throttle body I think one is blue and the other is i don't remember but you'll find them it's just a heat shrink wrap that they didn't even crimp the wires man cheers
@@jeffhusnik2878 awesome, thanks 🤘🏻
What intake is that?
Its from do88. Things awesome, makes the diverter valve sound like a blowoff and you really hear the turbo spool up. worth the money for me at least!
does this apply to the v6?
I'm Not sure if It does! I would have to look that up to find out.
The hot start issue is a saab ecu programming issue . Your ecu needs to be updated so the car doesn't act like a hot carburated engine with a choke stuck on . Secondly the codes you are getting mean the ecu is bad . Main power relay and throttle body correlation is a type of failure of the ecu
Gotcha. For now, just replacing the battery fixed the issue. It's amazing what low voltage can do. Monitors are already set and no more hot start dying!
@Ddubs Garage ok but im just telling you the ecu is still failing the throttle body code and main power relay code will reappear. You might even get cooling fan malfunction with those errors . It's just the beginning. The hot start issue is a tsb for 07-11 saab pushed out an update to fix the issue . fix saabs tune the ecus and work at a saab repair shop . I also sell good working fully tested ecus . I also rebuild some issues this one you're having is not really fixable at the moment . Good luck 👍
@@billywill123 ok gotcha. I’m treating it as a “cross that bridge when I get to it” sort of thing. I know who I’ll be messaging when I do need some help. Thanks man!
Replaced my ecu 1 month ago for 600 dollars,got p 2135 few days ago and now p 1681 ,is it sure to be ECU?
I couldn't tell you for sure, I would replace check your battery voltage as I did and make sure it isn't low. If that does not solve the problem, I would try replacing other parts related to those codes (if you're looking to go DYI)
@@ddubsgarage8285 my ECM is almost 2yrs old and I started it the other day and it ran very rough and smelled a strong smell gas. My code was p1682 and of course p0137 and p0300. I think it’s the ECM again. I changed the plugs to see if it would run smoother b4 codes popped up and the spark plugs were a lil wet and smelled like fuel. Sounds like ECM?
@@chrisshore9000 I hope for your sake it isn’t the ecu! Definitely check your battery voltage and also find out related symptoms for the p0137 code. Best of luck!
@@ddubsgarage8285 brand new battery maybe a month old and my eSID2 shows alt is working. Battery’s voltage was a lil high when I 1st put it in. 14.2volts. I’m not sure where the voltage regulator is. I’ll recheck all that when I get home. Im not worried if it’s the ECM.
Where did you get it from? Most people would sell you a "working ecu" knowing damn well it could give out any time now and lable it as "working"
I had a 1980 Saab and the electronic pickup was bad and had a crack in it so when hot the car ran but cold it wouldn't start
so odd. Do you still own it??
@@ddubsgarage8285 no had it for about 10 years then gave it to my stepson who had it for 5 years
@@waynegood9233 well I’m glad someone is enjoying it!
Geez i was looking at a saab 09 model 3 but i think I'll just keep my volvo now. High mileage but I'd rather put a quart of oil in between oil changes than hunt ecu issues. Pity they seem like cool cars but.. Nope
Hahaha I respect the decision. Definitely a scary thing to have to deal with
sounds more like your fuel pump pressure ...as it gets hot the fuel turns into vapour and then your car wont start.
With all these other comments I hope that all those fail points don’t go bad. I appreciate the input. So far everything works awesome and after the spacer kit and new battery I haven’t had any issues at all.
I would beat all of that and go get some manifold. Paint heat resistant manifold paint spray the hole and bottom side of that manifold and the computer backside. Save some money.
Not a bad idea! I might be having throttle body issues so maybe while I’m in there….
That's a solder issue in the ECU. Easy fix.
Just ended up being my battery. Low voltage ghost code. So I just did the ecu spacer as a preventative thing
Had the exact same issue + some other minors which were screaming "throttle body". Eventually my ecu died so i did that first. Then all of them disappeared. Throttle body is completely fine. 😄😄🫣🫣
Woah! How did you source an ecu? Did you need the tech 2 to marry it to the car?
@ddubsgarage8285 i am not in the us. A bit easier to find one here. Yes tech2 is necessary.
Tjek full filter
Ese código es el que tiene mi vector 2003, 😂
changed the battery on my 1.8t and all the warings went off,those clever sweedes thought of every warning ...except buy a new battery ...!
Right?! Glad it fixed everything for ya 😂🤘🏻
I think this is a waste of money.
His cigg voice is making me nauseous 😢😮
I don’t smoke 😂
Using rock glass it best it insulates up to 3000f
Rock glass?
@@ddubsgarage8285 Also called ceramic fiber blanket one sheet can insulate 2400 dubbed it and you have protection up to 3000f.
@@eazystreet5507 I think I will look into that for sure!
@@ddubsgarage8285 I wrap mine in aluminum after with stainless zip ties. Got it on my SAAB turbo and down pipe. Huge temp drop under the hood. The 3 inch down pipe runs by the oil filter and trans pan.
@@eazystreet5507 that’s awesome.